life through recipes that are mostly healthy, all real

Apple Walnut Craisin Granola

The inspiration for this recipe came from a kind of odd place. I made soft boxes, a kind of DIY of the Lowel Ego light, this weekend and wanted to test them out. So I setup a little display with these huge apples we had in the house. As I added to it, the recipe kind of formed around the apple, based on what was on in hand in the pantry.

The great thing about granola, is that with a few basic staples, you can make almost any flavor of granola you want. Oats, fat, sweet, add-ins, extra flavor. That’s the base of every granola recipe at its core. This crisp, October morning made it the perfect day to whip up a batch that just exudes autumn.

The beautiful thing about granola is that it can be served in so many ways. I ate it with greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey this morning, but you can also eat it with some milk and fresh fruit, just milk, just fruit, or use it as a topping on ice cream, baked fruit, or pudding. How amazing would a cinnamon chia pudding be with some of this granola on top?

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Maple Syrup (or honey)

3 cups Rolled Oats

3 handfuls Walnuts

2-3 handfuls Dried Cranberries

1 medium Apple

1-2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

pinch of Salt

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once oil is fully melted, you may turn off the heat. In a large bowl, add the oats, walnuts and dried cranberries. Dice the apple into small bite-sized pieces. Don’t worry too much about the pieces being uniform or perfect, but do make sure they are small enough to fit into a bite with other pieces of the granola. My dice was about a 1/2 inch. Add the apple to the bowl. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix all dry ingredients until well incorporated, using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.

Add the vanilla extract to the oil & maple syrup blend. Then add the liquids to the dry ingredients. Mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined. The oats should look slightly wet and darker in color.

Place a piece of parchment on a jelly roll pan or baking sheet and spoon the granola out on the pan. Bake for at least 50 minutes, stirring at least once. Once the oats have begun to turn a golden brown and the spices and nuts are fragrant. Remove from oven and allow to cool before eating. Store in an airtight container. Serves approximately 12.

Tell me if you’ll be making this soon and how you plan to serve it! Are you going to make a variation? I’d love to hear that too.